Weekend events
Another look at the at the Arriva Premier Express
The new 'Irish Mancunian'?
'Last of the Summer WAG', or 'The Long Way Round' -
by
Class 97/3 doings - report by Mark Watson
Corwen Project Update - by George Jones
Looking back
Corwen exhibition - report by George Jones
To Dundee, come Hell or High Water - report by Roly
High
New book on Ruabon to Barmouth - reviewed by George
Jones

Archive addition: 37s on Ballast
Stormy Weather
Class 56 on the logs
Exhibition: Corwen, A Railway Town
Llangollen's Autumn Diesel Day 22 September
Quarry Power on the Welsh Highland - report by Ian
Club 55 to Cheltenham (and website woes) - by
Stephen Hughes20
September 2012

Rainbow at Helsby - report by Bob Greenhalgh
News from Arriva
Mind the (158) gap
Crewe to Tywyn by Club 55 - with Robert Darlaston
Mixed Gauge at Laxey
Carnforth to Holyhead
Training Turn
Picture Miscellany
Variety at Crewe - report by Martin Evans
Welshpool and Llanfair gala - report by David Parry Forthcoming events
This list may be out of date if you are reading an archived
page. For
the current list visit our Calendar.

October
2012

Monday 15 October RCTS
Chester Steam Classes that failed to make
Preservation; Powerpoint
presentation By John Cowlishaw Using Edgar Richards
Photographs.

Friday 2 November Clwyd
Railway
Circle Dave Southern “Chester to Pwllheli” The
slide show
will follow a journey from Chester to Pwllheli via Oswestry.
There will
be slides of each of the lines we pass on the journey, based
on the
early 1960's.

Friday 7 December Clwyd
Railway
Circle Members Night & Christmas
Celebration.
Members are invited to give a 15/20 minute presentation of
their choice
(any format). This will be interrupted by festive treats
(all high
calories). Members must book their slot with David
Jones no later
than 20 November.

Thursday 13 December Llandudno
and
Conwy Valley Railway Society Christmas Social helped
along by
members Alex Cowan confirming to us that “Trainspotting was
an
education” and Larry Davies taking us back to “1962 – a year
of change”

Friday 4 January Clwyd
Railway
Circle Pete Gray “Welsh Highland Railway”
Our speaker
for the night is the Safety & Development Manager of the
WHR;
previous to this, he was the Construction Manager from
2006-2010. Pete
will be talking about his experiences during this time and
the
organization that is needed to keep the show on the road.

Friday 1 March Clwyd
Railway
Circle The Committee & Larry Davies.
AGM followed
by the talk “60 years ago – Diamond days” After the
formality is over,
we look forward to the talk by one of our favourite
speakers.

Friday 5 April Clwyd
Railway
Circle Michael Murphy 'Liverpool Overhead
Railway' To
finish off the season, a highly recommended speaker known
for his
light-hearted style of presentation. The talk will be
followed by film
footage of the railway in its heyday.

Thursday 16 May LCGB North
West AGM
and Members/Visitors Slides & Digital Photos.

A look back at the sort of scene which inspired this
website: 37 420
The Scottish Hosteller passes Dwygyfylchi with a westbound
Regional
Railways service on 24 August 1996, complete with added
GWR-liveried
coach, hired from Riviera Trains for the summer peak
traffic, at the
rear. Picture by John
Young:
More nostalgia below.

Diesel memories - pictures by John Young

Llandudno Junction motive power depot in the days when it
was used as a
stabling point for diesel locomotives: a pair of Class 25s -
25 323 nearest the
camera' stands in
the sidings on 27 August 1984.

A short Freightliner train passes Prestatyn on 5 May 1989
hauled by 47 589,
which was equipped to long-range fuel tanks and renumbered
47 827 soon
after the date of this picture. In 2002 it was rebuilt to
become 57 302 Virgil
Tracy. These
trains, part of a freight link to Ireland, ceased in 1991
and the depot
at Holyhead, which was alongside Platform 3, is now lost
under roads
and car parking. See Dave
Sallery's archives
for more pictures.

17 June 2000, and 47 747Res Publica
- one of the mail train fleet, on hire to Virgin - takes a
Virgin
Trains service to London through Abergele, complete with
Driving Van
Trailer (DVT) of the type now being used on the Arriva
premier service.
At Crewe the diesel would be detached, and and electric loco
coupled to
the rear, from which point the train would be driven from
the DVT.
These Mk3 DVTs were never used to control Class 47 diesel
locos until
EWS, and then Wrexham & Shropshire had some equipped to
work with
class 67s.

A shortage of fully operational Class 97/3s recently has
seen the use
of two DRS 37s in use on the North Wales RHTT, working
either solo just
along the coast, or top and tail with an available 97/3. On
the
afternoon of October 17, DRS 37 419Carl
Haviland, arrives
at Crewe, ready to operate on the RHTT the following day.
Named in
September, the inset shows the nameplate, Carl Haviland, an
HNRC
technical fitter who passed away this year (Mark Riley).

The same day, 37 425
worked
solo along the coast, running round at Holyhead, and is seen
above
westbound at Beeches Farm on the approach to Chester (Bob Greenhalgh). There
is still no
sign of the Concrete Bob
nameplates which this loco carried during its passenger
career, and
were rumoured to be due for re-application by DRS.

Approaching Llanfair PG (Richard
Fleckney).

37 425 is seen at the end of its diagram having run round
the wagons
and 'clagging' off to the train's base, Crewe Electric
Maintenance
Depot (Mark Riley).

On 18 October, the train was worked top and tail by 97 303 and 37 419, seen here at
Beeches Farm (Bob
Greenhalgh)...

... and departing from Chester towards Crewe with 97 303
leading.
Enthusiasts can't complain about the variety of traction and
formation
of the RHTT so far this year (Mark
Riley).

37 419, which also once worked passenger trains along this
line, passes
Llanfair PG station (Richard
Fleckney).

19 October, and the normal pair of 97/3s were back on duty.
Jack Bowley's
pictures from the old
'Hotel Seventy Degrees' site shows 97
303 leading 97
302
eastbound past Old Colwyn.

The same pair on Saturday 20 October passing Llanfair PG (Richard Fleckney).

Monday 22 October, and the locos are gaining the usual RHTT
coating of
dirt. This is 97 303 at Bangor (Richard
Fleckney).

97 302 on the rear (Richard
Fleckney).

Saturday Drag, A Traveller's Tale - by Glen Cusack

On 13 October, 57308Tin Tin almost
didn't make it to
Holyhead. and indeed two hapless enthusiasts didn't either.
Back in
September I had booked a cheap return flight from Dublin to
Manchester
for Saturday 13 October, and had intended to visit the East
Lancashire
Railway diesel gala, particularly as 37 324 was meant to be
visiting
from the Gloucester and Warwickshire Railway. However, a few
days
before, it was announced that due to transportation issues,
the visit
of the loco was off. On arrival at Manchester Airport
shortly before
09:00 on the Saturday, I checked on the internet to see what
was
working the drag to Holyhead and noted that 57308 "Tin Tin"
was
allocated to it. I decided that since Manchester Airport was
convenient
for Crewe, and because of the no show of 37 324 at the East
Lancs, to
go
for a spin along the North Wales coast instead.

Above, 57 308 is pictured at Crewe's platform 12 awaiting
the arrival
of the 08:50 Pendolino from London Euston.

Above, 390 050Virgin Invader has
arrived from
London, and is in the process of been coupled up to the
loco,
attracting the usual attention in the process; we set off
west more or
less on time. We came to an abrupt stop outside Chester for
about four
minutes, unusual as this train is rarely held for a path,
and indeed
Chester was deserted when we arrived except for a MerseyRail
unit.

Another abrupt stop at Prestatyn, and then outside Bangor
Tunnel. In
the latter case, the train manager announced there was a
technical
fault and we would be on our way shortly, and indeed we
were, on the
move again the short distance into Bangor station itself. It
was here
that the train manager came on and announced "unfortunately
it is now
unsafe to continue with this service and as such this train
is
terminated". The train was still reasonably loaded with
ferry
passengers going to Holyhead, so everybody gathered their
belongings -
and in some instances large cases - and de-trained onto the
platform.

The advice was to wait for the following Arriva service
(09:09 ex
Birmingham International), which itself was by now almost 30
minutes
late. Myself and another enthusiast crossed over to platform
1 to get a
photo. Note that in the picture above the signalman
has given the
train a shunt signal, presumably to let it proceed forward
and then
reverse
into one of the sidings or the middle road out of the
way.

This is where the comedy started. 57 308 was now screaming
her brains
out building up air. A train crew member proceeded to the
telephone by
the signal post and presumably spoke to the signalman. Next,
the train
gets the green light for the main line towards Holyhead ...
and the
train leaves ... complete with passengers back on board I
was getting a
video of what I thought was the train shunting, and
when I seen it was carrying passengers, Victor Meldrew would
have been
proud of the "I don't believe it" I let out. Cheers
then! Lucky I
wasn't going for the boat today.

I got talking to the other enthusiast who also was surprised
at what
had just happened, and we crossed back over to platform 2 to
await the
following Arriva unit, which was 158
841 and travelled onwards to Holyhead. This itself
had an
extended 6-minute stop at Ty Croes for some reason, the
muddled
announcement by the guard mentioned "reboot" and that was
all we could
make out. We eventually arrived Holyhead at 13:50 where the
return
13:23 to Birmingham International was already almost
30 minutes
late before it even left; that's what happens when you give
long
distance trains a four minute turn around at the end of the
journey...

A few passengers on our train into Holyhead ran for the
boat, I'm not
sure if they made it or not. Meanwhile we walked around to
platform 1
and were pleased to see 57 308 already run around and
connected up to
the Pendolino. The 14:38 departure was up on the passenger
information
screens meaning that whatever was wrong on the outbound run
was
obviously resolved and they were entrusting 57 308 with
hauling the
train back to Crewe. We figured it was probably just one of
those
all-too frequent connection problems between the loco and
unit.

Indeed, the return journey back to Crewe was faultless and
ran to time
throughout. 57 308 is pictured after arrival at Crewe where
it was
removed leaving the Pendolino to whisk passengers the
remaining 158
miles to London in just 1¾ hours. For me t was
then on to
Manchester Airport for the flight back to Dublin after
another
"interesting" day out with 57s.

Postscript: Of course, this isn't my first attempt at
getting to
Holyhead behind 57308 which proved troublesome. The last
time I
contributed was back in January 2011, when I travelled over
from Dublin
for a spin and 57 308 caused much bigger problems when it
failed at
Rhyl. See the 24
January 2011 issue.

Discrete electrification?

Rail magazine
reports
that 1 October saw publication by Network Rail of the Draft
for
Consultation of the 'Alternative
Solutions
Network
Route Utilisation Strategy.' This examines
the possibilities of converting 'heavy rail' lines to tram
or
tram-train or guided bus, and also alternative methods of
delivery of
electric traction on lower traffic density routes, energy
storage, and
community rail.

A case study (page 71 in the PDF) examines the possibility
of
electrifying the Crewe to Chester line 'on the cheap' using
what is
called 'discrete electrification.' There would be no
overhead line
equipment in Chester station, so some form of energy storage
would be
needed to start the trains from platforms. There would be
two
pantographs per train to avoid 'gapping', and pantographs
would be
lowered in places where clearances so demanded. Thus
'bespoke
train sets' would be needed for the London - Chester / North
Wales
service.

However, the report concludes that that the option is
thought to be
'neither technically nor operationally feasible.'

Note: the term 'Discontinuous Electrification' is used where
there are
physical gaps in electrification infrastructure from around
50 m to 2
km. 'Discrete Electrification' involves physical gaps that
are greater
than 2 km, and also includes vehicles with on-board energy
storage
devices.

In the Vale of Rheidol - with Vince Chadwick

Arriva Trains Wales have re-introduced their 'Club 55'
tickets this
autumn; travel anywhere on their network for £19
return
(£18 with a senior railcard and even cheaper booked on
line). A
friend and I went to Aberystwyth on 10 October, catching the
07:46 from
Wilmslow to Shrewsbury. From there the mid-Wales line took
us via
Welshpool and Machynlleth (where the train divided for
Pwllheli or
Aberystwyth) to our destination arriving 11:25. The picture
above shows
our train on arrival at Aberystwyth.

We went to Aberystwyth to travel on the Vale of Rheidol
Railway, and it
was just fantastic.

But before that, we discovered the Aberystwyth Cliff
Railway: above is
the lower station.

A view at the passing place.

After riding the Cliff Railway we walked back through the
town for a
fish & chip lunch opposite the railway station. The
terminus for
the Vale of Rheidol Railway is right next to the Network
Rail station
and we were there in plenty of time for the afternoon
departure at
14:00. Aberystwyth seems a prosperous, well-kept town,
unlike many
Welsh
coastal resorts which are feeling the pinch financially.
Above, the
Vale of Rheidol train ready for departure at Aberystwyth
station.

I'd no idea it would be this good - the scenery starts off
quite tame
on the lowlands inland from the sea at Aberystwyth, but
commences a
spirited climb up the side of the deepening valley all the
way up to
Devil's Bridge.

The line clings to the high valley side, many hundreds of
feet above
the river as it twists and turns its way up for an hour. The
coaches
are all enclosed, except for one with open sides which we
occupied. It
was marshalled immediately behind the locomotive for the
uphill
journey, so was at the back on the way down the Vale.

The line climbs steeply for many miles up the side of the
Vale of
Rheidol. It is the most spectacular railway I have travelled
on, and
Red Kites and Buzzards soar out from the valley sides out
over the
Rheidol river. Not only is the line steep, it has tight
turns and in
places passes through
woodland which makes the track damp. Several times during
the long
climb our loco 'lost her feet' as she slipped on the greasy
rail.

On the journey down we got some nice views back along the
line, and
looking forward on sharp curves the loco at the head of the
train could
be seen. Cwm Rheidol Reservoir is about 1/3 of the way down
the 12 mile
line from Devil's Bridge.

Our locomotive was No.8, 'Llywellyn'. She was built by the
Great
Western
Railway at Swindon in 1923, hence her rather nice GWR colour
scheme.
The big ugly arrangement in front of her right hand tank is
a
steam-driven air pump for the train's air brakes.

The little train arrived back in Aberystwyth on time at
17:00, allowing
plenty of time for our ATW connection to Shrewsbury at
17:30. At
Shrewsbury we caught another Arriva train home to Wilmslow,
arriving
there at 20:40, almost 13 hours after we left. A long day
but well
worth it!

Note: the Vale
of Rheidol Railway will be running Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, Thursdays
and Saturdays until 1 November, before closing until the
'Santa
Special' season.

Ferry-go-round - report by Mark Riley

On 20 October 20, UK Railtours operated 'The Ferry-go-round'
railtour
which took enthusiasts on unusual stamping ground around the
Fiddlers
Ferry circuit and a visit to the power station itself, a
route rarely
seeing any passenger services, if any. (When did this
last
happen?) Motive power was provided by top and tail DB
Schenker locos 66 095
and 66 197.
A rare treat for punters, thanks in no small part due to
Scottish
Energy for granting permission for the train to access this
route. The train is seen here (above) returning from
Fiddlers
Ferry, passing under Warrington Bank Quay station and
approaching
Arpley Junction, heading towards Latchford with 66 197
leading.

Arpley Junction: 66 095 brings up the rear. A
colourful and
varied rake of coaches.

The train was held at Latchford for 35 minutes, whilst
regular coal
trains were still operating on the circuit. I missed the
chance of a
photo of the railtour alongside 70 015 which had followed
the railtour
to Latchford with the Ellesmere Port - Fiddlers Ferry coal.
It looked
like a sell-out tour and understandably so.

The end for Chester Enterprise Centre

The Chester Chronicle
of 18
October reports that demolition of the burnt-out shell of
the Chester
Enterprise Centre, formerly a railway goods warehouse
alongside Chester
station, is to start within the next six weeks, for
completion in
February. Chester West and Chester Council says it has been
spending an 'unsustainable amount of money employing 24-hour
security
on the site to stop trespassers hurting themselves' since
the fire in
December 2010.

The Council is yet to make a decision on the future of
the site;
however a statement put forward
to the planning department says that the site 'may be
suitable for a
range of temporary uses including, for example parking or
storage'.

Heritage Railway Miscellany

Lots of pictures received from people who have travelled to
Heritage
Railway events around Britain. There's not enough time to
edit and
include them all, I'm afraid, but here's a selection for
you. Above,
Sunday 14 October 2012. Keighley station. The Autumn gala is
in full
swing. LYR 1300 and
LYR 957 prepare to
depart as 43924 is
on the goods
train (Bob Greenhalgh).

61306Mayflower also took
part in the
East Lancashire Gala, having travelled there by rail in
company of 31 601 -
a curiously anagrammatic
pairing. Paul Braddock
captured the pair at Castleton where they turned on the
triangle before
proceeding to the ELR connection.